The Terrible Eye: Who Put Sarah in the Wych Elm?
by Dubzor
Summary: From the pages of THE UNBELIEVABLE GWENPOOL, the Terrible Eye strikes out on her own adventure into the dark corners of the Marvel Universe. Follow Sarah to Staten Island to investigate a strange tree that has been involved in the disappearance with a young girl, and along the way discover more about the Marvel Universe's latest sorceress.


**PAGE 1**

PANEL 1

Ariel view of the green belt of Staten Island. It's autumn, the leaves have already turned and some trees are even starting to look bare. The sky is overcast, threatening rain. Any houses that can be seen are not well taken care of, old shingles and siding that should have been replaced years ago. No people should be visible.

TEXT BOX - THE GREEN BELT, STATEN ISLAND

 **ZOEY:** Quiet, we're in Cropsey's woods now.

 **MARCO:** Who's Cropsey? I though the state owned the park.

PANEL 2

Overhead view of two adolescence walking through the woods, an African American girl, and a boy of Italian American decent. The girl is leading the way, looking forward as she walks, while the boy is idly swinging a broken tree branch around as he follows.

 **ZOEY:** How have you lived here this long and not heard of Cropsey?

 **MARCO:** I dunno, there's lots of things I don't know about.

 **ZOEY:** Color me surprised.

 **MARCO:** Shut up.

PANEL 3

We're looking up from a low angle. Zoey is dangling from a low branch of a tree while she talks, Marco is leaning up against the trunk his stick leaning up against his shoulder like a swordsman would rest his weapon. His eyes are cast upward at her without turning his head.

 **ZOEY:** There's an old abandoned mental hospital around here somewhere. When they closed up they just let all the patients loose in the woods. Cropsey was one of those patients, and now he lives in the old building, kidnapping children off the streets at night.

 **MARCO:** No way, that kind of stuff doesn't just happen.

 **ZOEY:** It did in the 80's.

PANEL 4

Another side view, this time in sillouette as the two slide down a small embankment. Zoey is halfway down before she loses her balance and falls on her behind for the rest of the way.

 **MARCO:** In the 80's? Even if that were true, Cropsey would have to be like, a million years old by now.

 **ZOEY:** So? How old do you figure Thor is?

 **MARCO:** Depends, which one?

 **ZOEY:** OOF!

PANEL 5

Zoey sits at the bottom of the slope, her pants covered in dirt, but she doesn't seem to care. Her eyes are cast forward in wide wonderment. Marco leans down to check on her.

 **MARCO:** You OK?

 **ZOEY:** Woah…

 **PAGE 2**

SPLASH PAGE

From behind the two kids, at a low angle as to make the tree seem like a child's monsterous nightmare, a towering gnarled tree. It's bare limbs have grown in tangled spindles, starting outward but then slowly moving up to form a sort of birds nest appearance. If you need a better visual, it's the same type of tree from the original "Bella in the Wych Elm" story from England.

Speaking of which, over this page there is no dialogue from the children, who are overtaken by the image, instead we have the credits appearing under the title of the arc…

WHO PUT SARAH IN THE WYCH ELM?

 **PAGE 3**

PANEL 1

Zoey circles the base of the tree, trying to find a decent foot hold to start climbing. Marco, stands on this tippy-toes, reaching out with this tick to try and prod the inside of the crown on top.

 **MARCO:** What kind of tree is it?"

 **ZOEY:** Dunno, never seen one like this before.

PANEL 2

From the ground we are looking up to see Zoey scrambling up the tree, her low legs dangling as she squeezes her way through the upper branches. Marco looks from below.

 **MARCO:** Just so you know, if you fall and crack your head open, I'm not carrying you back.

 **ZOEY:** OK, "Mom."

PANEL 3

Same view as last panel, only now we can see Zoey's feet disappear between the branches of the crown. There is silence from the two kids.

PANEL 4

Again, same view from last panel. No evidence of Zoey can be seen now.

 **MARCO:** Well, what's up there?

PANEL 5

From a distance now, Marco looks small and frail in the shadow of the massive tree. Zoey is nowhere to be seen through the branches. Marco's voice is weak and nervous.

 **MARCO:** Zoey?

 **PAGE 4**

PANEL 1

It's a busy day, we can see cars driving by and a wide variety of people on the sidewalk passing by Doctor's Stanctum Sacntorum without any knowledge of what's inside.

TEXT BOX- THE SACNTUM SANCTORUM, GREENWICH VILLAGE

 **DOCTOR STRANGE:** I really do wish you would have come to me immediately with this Miss Fox, these kinds of things shouldn't be taken lightly.

PANEL 2

We're looking down now, showing just how large his study is. Strange uses his magic to pull a book off of one of the top shelves as they talk.

 **SARAH:** At the time I was afraid you wouldn't have let me keep it had you known.

 **DOCTOR STRANGE:** You're right, I wouldn't have. However, as it turns out it wouldn't have been my decision anyways.

PANEL 3

Sarah sits in a plush armchair a steaming cup of tea resting in her lap. In the foreground we can see her mask covered in shadow. She regards it now with reverence laced with just a hint of apprehension.

 **SARAH:** Mmm, 'the wand chooses the wizard' so it would seem.

PANEL 4

Doctor Strange shows no visible hint of emotion as he speaks, almost as if he's saying this as matter of factly. The book magically floats in place as he summons vials of magical ingredients and dried herbs from an open cabinet against the wall.

 **DOCTOR STRANGE:** Whatever its intentions may be, it has good taste in magicians.

 **PAGE 5**

PANEL 1

Sarah blushes slightly and smiles to herself, brushing the folds of her dress as she stands.

 **SARAH:** I'm glad you agree. I'm afraid I didn't just come here about the headaches.

PANEL 2

We are close in on Doctor Strange's face now, he looks towards her quizzically.

PANEL 3

Sarah looks out the window down towards the street below, her face has taken a look of seriousness about it that we can see through her reflection on the glass.

 **SARAH:** I'm sure you've noticed it by now.

 **DOCTOR STRANGE:** The disturbance on Staten Island, I am aware of it, yes.

 **PAGE 6**

SPLASH PAGE

We see Sarah from the side as she looks out the window. Her head takes on a double exposure effect, the front profile of her face is clear as day, however the back of her head takes on the silhouette of the spidery wych elm.

 **SARAH:** My mask showed me a glimpse of something; it was without form, but was instead an intense feeling of purpose. A terrible purpose. I watched as it bled from the shadows and imitated shape. That's the only way to describe it, an imitation of life that danced between the planes of existence. It imitated many things, things I did not recognize from this world, and one very much of this world…a tree.

 **PAGE 7**

PANEL 1

Doctor Strange lets the book and ingredients settle on the table before him. He places his hand on the book and looks back at Sarah as she turns to face him from the window. A low angle view of this would be nice, perhaps at a dutch angle.

 **DOCTOR STRANGE:** You want to look into it. Sarah…

 **SARAH:** I'm sorry, but I'm not asking.

PANEL 2

Sarah places a hand on her chest as she talks her eyes are not harsh despite the forcefulness of her words. She is overall kind and respectful.

 **SARAH:** I have so much respect for you and what you do. But there was something else, something that makes this mine.

PANEL 3

Both Sarah and Doctor Strange cast a glance to her mask as it sits on the table, still cast in shadow, looking ominous in the foreground.

 **SARAH:** Whatever it is I saw. My mask recognized it.

 **PAGE 8**

PANEL 1

The entire panel is filled with the view screen of a Digital Camera. Past the usual bits of information, the battery indicator, ISO setting, ect. Sarah is wearing much more casual clothing than we are used to seeing her in. Denim shorts, boots, black t-shirt, and a large sun hat. On her back is a small backpack with a water bottle secured by an elastic net. She's reaching up with one arm and pressing it against her forehead to keep the sweat out of her eyes. She's still very pale as always and looks very uncomfortable.

 **TEXT BOX-** MCLINTIC WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA. POINT PLESANT, WEST VIRGINIA. 5 YEARS AGO.

 **NATE:** Hang on, I need to get one last photo of you before you burst into flames.

 **SARAH:** No joke. I honestly didn't think it would be this bad.

PANEL 2

Nate, Sarah's brother, is not so pale. He's shares the family's dark hair and wears it cropped short on the sides, while keeping it messy on top. He looks down at the screen, pointing his DSL down so he can get a better look without too much glare from the sun. Sarah pulls out her water bottle and takes a long pull from it.

 **NATE:** Hey, we could have just as easily stayed in the hotel, with the A/C on and watched the Richard Gere movie and gotten the gist of it.

 **SARAH:** There's power in a place, Nate. Something you can only get by sharing the same space with an event and its people. A kind of magic.

 **PAGE 9**

PANEL 1

Nate continues fiddling with his camera idly, the memories being stirred up making him quite nervous.

 **NATE:** I get that. When Mom and Dad took us to Salem when we were kids I couldn't sleep the entire time we were there. Like something was sitting on my chest.

PANEL 2

Looking over Nate's shoulder, he scrolls through the photos he's taken throughout the day. The photo is of the 12ft tall metal statue of Mothman erected in town.

 **NATE:** Real places and real events, sure; but Mothman? Really?

PANEL 3

Same shot, closer to the screen, almost filling it this time. This photo is taken inside the Mothman Museum gift shop, Sarah is holding up a small Mothman plushie in front of her face, just under her eyes. The Mothman plushie has the same googly eyes as her mask.

 **SARAH:** Like this is any more silly than when you camped out in our back yard looking for Bigfoot.

 **NATE:** I was twelve.

PANEL 4

Aagain, a closer look at the screen. The photo on screen at the moment is a failed attempt at a timer shot of the two of them in front of the Welcome Sign for Point Pleasant. Nate is slightly blurry, rushing into place for the photo. Sarah is laughing warmly, an arm stretched out to wrap around his shoulder for the shot.

 **SARAH:** Fifteen more like. Besides, it's not really about whether he was real or not.

 **PAGE 10**

PANEL 1

Looking from the side now. Nate turns off his camera and takes a look around, Sarah tucks her water bottle back in the net and starts heading back up over the rise.

 **SARAH:** The story of Mothman is bigger than the creature itself, it has its own meaning and subtext to it that speaks to us…well, most of us at least.

PANEL 2

Sarah steps forward and puts a hand up against a tree while Nate looks at her facetiously from behind. We can't see Sarah's face, just from the neck down.

 **NATE:** Uh huh, and what might that be?

PANEL 3

Looking over Sarah's shoulders we see her looking out over the crest of the hill and down the river towards Silver Bridge in the distance.

 **SARAH:** Seeing, Nate…

 **PAGE 11-12**

SPLASH PAGES

Sarah casually strolls down the streets just outside the Green Belt of Staten Island as "The Terrible Eye." The environment around her is a twisted, psycadellic landscape. A kaleidoscope of universes all over-lapping one another like several layers of transparent paper. Think Stephen Bissette's work on Swamp Thing.

 **TEXT BOX-** STATEN ISLAND, NOW

 **SARAH:** (Internal Dialogue) True sight is a maddening experience, so much information we were not meant to see all flooding in at once. You can't see it all; attempting it would mean losing yourself within the fold.

The secret is to scan through the layers of the multiverse like a flip book. Shuffling them all in such a quick succession that at any one time I'm really only looking at one layer, but the image created by them all becomes clear enough for me to see.

It's a terrible strain, hence the headaches. But it's the only real way to see without losing my mind.

 **PAGE 13**

PANEL 1

Sarah passes people on the streets who offer her strange looks as the walk past. We are no longer seeing her point of view. Everything is as it should be.

 **SARAH:** (Internal) People are an interesting anomaly within the multiverse.

Despite what parents tell their children, no one is as unique as they think they are.

PANEL 2

Seeing through Sarah's mask now, there's an assortment of people on the streets at this time. Some appear as we would expect them too, others are strange off-shoots of our reality. There are duplicates of people from other universes hanging around as well; most are in slightly different places and positions than their counterparts. However there is one that does seem to be overlapping with itself.

 **SARAH:** (Internal) Everyone has counterpart somewhere in the multiverse. Most of the time they exist in different positions in space and time, ghostly twins completely unaware of each other's existence.

PANEL 3

A closer look at the individual with an overlapping counterpart, one appears to be in mid conversation with someone on the stoop of an apartment building while the other wears drastically different clothing talking to a strange device on their wrist.

 **SARAH:** (Internal) Occasionally, these counterparts can overlap. These individuals usually have a higher probability of developing sensitivity of the spiritual and magical worlds.

 **PAGE 14**

PANEL 1

Sarah stops and puts a hand to the side of her head. Around her the panel background is a distorted and disorienting blend of shades of color and shapes.

 **SARAH:** Ungg…

PANEL 2

Sarah steadies herself, continuing to hold the side of her head, baring her teeth slightly.

 **SARAH:** OK, you have my attention. What-

PANEL 3

Looking from behind, Sarah stops to observe Missing Person Posters stapled to a telephone pole. The pole holds remnants of countless other posters in the past, staples, scraps of paper. One of the posters shows a smiling photograph of Zoey.

 **PAGE 15**

PANEL 1

Closer over the shoulder shot, we have a better view of the Poster of Zoey which is the most recent addition. Dialogue from off panel.

 **POSTER TEXT-** MISSING CHILD, ZOEY STANTON AGE 13 EYES BROWN HAIR BLACK LAST SEEN (ect.)

 **MARCO:** Are you a hero? I've never seen you on TV before.

PANEL 2

Marco sits on his bike on the sidewalk; he and Sarah just observe each other in silence for a moment.

PANEL 3

Looking just at Marco, he nods to the poster.

 **MARCO:** You here to find my friend?

PANEL 4

Looking at Sarah, who offers him a smile which despite her mask manages to look quite soft and kind.

 **PAGE 16**

PANEL 1

From a distance we see Sarah holding the length of her dress up as she makes her way down the slope, Marco points from behind Sarah. He's keeping his distance from the area.

 **MARCO:** There, right down that hill; big, ugly thing in the clearing...

 **SARAH:** Stay here, I won't be long.

 **MARCO:** S'fine, place gives me the creeps now anyways.

PANEL 2

The panel is filled with the spindely limbs of the Wych elm rising up ominously. Sarah looks up at it for a moment, just observing it while caught up in her thoughts.

 **SARAH:** (Internally) This is not a tree. I could tell before I even saw it. I feel that same intense purpose and determination pulsing from it like a heartbeat. I recognize it. I know it. I can feel endless memories of this formless thing rising up from the depths of my mind.

PANEL 3

We are close on Sarah's face as she reaches up a hand and brushes the chipped stone of her mask.

 **SARAH:** (Internal) Or rather, the mask does.

 **PAGE 17**

PANEL 1

Looking through the mask, Sarah sees Zoey floating in a strange cloud of colors and shape taking the form of the tree. She has a counterparts synced with her from other universes.

 **SARAH:** (Internal) The girl is a sensitive, I'm not sure what that means right now. The "tree" seems to be holding her within it.

PANEL 2

Looking at Sarah she cautiously lifts a hand up with fingers extended. The angle is canted slightly.

 **SARAH:** (Internal) But how does something without form become a vessel?

PANEL 3

From the side, Sarah's hand slowly approaches the trunk of the tree…

 **SARAH:** (Internal) Could it be so simple?

PANEL 4

…and disappears inside, the tree parting like water.

 **PAGE 18**

PANEL 1

Close up of Sarah's eyes that have widened in surprise, we can see this via a transparent portrayal of her mask.

PANEL 2

Looking from behind the tree toward Sarah as she struggles to pull herself away. The tree trunk looks like it is melting and traveling up her arm. The branches have started to turn into writhing limbs that have started to curve towards her, actively reaching out for her.

PANEL 3

Looking down on the scene from above, Sarah casts a spell and explodes part of the trunk away to release her arm. The section of the tree grabbing her dissipates like smoke. The branches continue to advance.

 **SFX:** SHOOOM

 **PAGE 19**

PANEL 1

From a short distance Sarah turns to face a set of branches reaching out for her and sends another magical blast. Another set creep up towards her from the other side and below.

 **SFX:** FWOOM

PANEL 2

Coming in closer. Sarah holds both hands out now, taking out two more sets of tendrils and exploding them into smoke. The advancing branches start to encroach and obscure the panel.

 **SFX:** WOOMF PWOOM

PANEL 3

Much closer now. Sarah starts to panic, exploding one set while trying to pull away from. The advancing branches have now cut off her retreat and have become overwhelming within the panel.

 **SFX:** SHOOM

PANEL 4

Sarah's face and shoulders become engulfed by the tree, her arms have been pulled to her side by the branches.

 **SARAH:** Wuaaaah- …

PANEL 5

Pulling back to see the full view of the tree, Sarah is now almost completely consumed and she is being dragged into the trunk of the tree. The rest of the branches start to retreat to their original positions.

PANEL 6

Looking futher back, the woods are silent. Sarah has disappeared completely and leaves behind the Wych elm that looks like no one was even there.

 **PAGE 20**

PANEL 1

The side of the tree starts to bulge slightly. The SFX starts small and continues into the next panel where the size of the font grows larger.

 **SFX:** FWOOOO-

PANEL 2

The side of the tree is now quite distended like a bubble about to burst.

 **SFX:** (continued) –OOOOOOOOM

PANEL 3

In an explosion of smoke and blinding shards of colorful light, Sarah falls towards us out of the tree holding Zoey close to her.

 **SFX:** PWOOOOMF

PANEL 4

Sarah pushes herself up onto an elbow, otherwise sprawled out painfully in the dirt next to the child. She looks towards the tree and sees…

 **ZOEY:** nnnnngggghh…

PANEL 5

Looking from behind Sarah, we see that where the tree once stood, just a faint wisp of smoke spirals into the air before fading away.

 **DR. STRANGE (Via red colored textbox):** Well, are you going to keep me in suspense?

 **SARAH (Via a charcoal colored textbox):** It was a remnant, a memory of a dead universe.

 **PAGE 21**

PANEL 1

Inside Dr. Strange's study, the roles are now reversed from earlier. Strange sits in a plush chair, holding his chin as he ponders what he had just heard. Behind him, Sarah assembles tea for the both of them.

 **DR STRANGE:** It was feeding off the child's magical energy to keep from fading.

 **SARAH:** No, the energy of the location is more than enough to sustain it. I suspect it had been there for years drawing from the power surrounding it.

 **DR STRANGE:** In Staten Island?

PANEL 2

Sarah's face falls into an expression of solemn sorrow and compassion, a close up profile shot shows her staring down into, presumably, a tea cup.

 **SARAH:** Willowbrook Mental Institution...it was supposed to be a refuge for intellectually disabled children, what it became was a prison. Overcrowding, disease, neglect, and abuse ran rampant in the facility for years. It wasn't until cameras came in to record the depravity that it was finally shut down.

PANEL 3

Looking down into the tea cup we can see Sarah's face reflected in the surface of the liquid, the tea leaves at the bottom almost seem to take the shape of the tree.

 **DR STRANGE:** By the…yes, that amount pain alone would have kept it stable.

PANEL 4

Strange steeples his fingers, his eyes closed as Sarah places two cups on either side of a small table between the two chairs.

 **DR STRANGE:** So the girl was something else then, an attempt to reconnect to the multiverse?

 **SARAH:** It's possible, but to what end? It was just a fragment, not even enough to hold its form.

PANEL 5

Strange takes the tea in his hand and blows softly to cool it, steam slithers up into the air.

 **DR STRANGE:** OK, let's try it from a different angle. What was it like inside?

 **PAGE 22**

PANEL 1

A half page panel, Sarah sits holding her tea in her lap, meanwhile the psycadelic visuals she describes bleed out from around her to fill the rest of the panel.

 **SARAH:** It was…it was like falling into a bundle of nerves. I imagine my eyes would have been very much useless, but through the mask I saw color and shape melding together and tearing apart from each other within moments. I was bombarded by ideas and concepts and thoughts and emotions…like a conversation in no language you can imagine.

Zoey and myself didn't exist as we do here. The moment we entered that fragment, we were broken down piece by piece. We existed as a collection of ideas, flashes of color that could feel. She was discovery, a brilliant pale yellow in a sea of transition, a dark purplish gray.

I reached out to her and a white mist pushed through transition, forced aside by sight and love.

PANEL 2

Strange stares at her amazed, the steam from his cup forming almost a straight line from his lap to the ceiling. He is silent. In the foreground we can see Sarah holding her cup with both hands in her own lap.

PANEL 3

Sarah turns and smiles warmly at him and towards us.

 **SARAH:** Anyways, it was the mask it wanted. From me at least, that much I am sure of.

PANEL 4

A copy of panel 2's basic layout and size, Strange reaches over to place his tea on the table, now fully engaged with the conversation.

 **DR. STRANGE:** How can you be sure?

PANEL 5

A wide panel, in the foreground the mask sits ominously on a table in the center of the room. In the background, the two sorcerers sit and look towards the seemingly innocuous object.

 **SARAH:** In my vision the mask gave me a feeling of recognition. When I was inside I felt something else entirely; a homecoming.

 **TEXTBOX:** End


End file.
